UFC VIP Experience Blog

UFC® 209 Predictions: Tyron Woodley vs. Stephen Thompson

UFC 209 is right around the corner and we are really looking forward to the rematch between Tyron Woodley and Stephen Thompson for the world welterweight title.

Their fight at UFC 205 was easily the best fight of the night and left fans immediately chanting for a rematch. The two fighters match up extremely well, and considering the outcome of UFC 205 was rather controversial among UFC fans, it only makes sense to see the two fight each other again. Take a look below at our predictions for UFC 209.

UFC 205 Flashback

Let's flashback to UFC 205. I was sitting on the floor of Madison Square Garden for this bout with Thompson’s family a few rows ahead of me and Woodley’s family also ahead of me and off to the right.

For the record, it’s really entertaining to watch how the family of UFC fighters react during the fight. Thompson’s family was relatively quiet throughout the fight; Woodley’s family was yelling the majority of the time. We saw two completely different approaches, that’s for sure.

I will tell you, I think almost everyone in the arena was cheering for Stephen Thompson, which was made even more obvious by the enormous eruption of “boos” following the outcome of the fight. There’s definitely something lovable about the South Carolina native, whether it’s his pure talent as a UFC fighter or his sweet southern charm.

Their first fight was everything we hoped it would be (except maybe the outcome). It was five insane rounds that demonstrated what the UFC is all about.

Last time our predictions were (barely) wrong. We knew the fight would go all five rounds, but we expected Thompson to come out on top. I like to think we were still correct in our prediction, but the judges disagreed. Although, I would argue the entire arena disagreed with the judges’ decision.

My comments immediately following the fight were this:

“All I can really say is goodness gracious did Stephen Thompson put up a fight or what? After narrowly escaping the fourth round and dominating in the fifth, UFC fans thought he’d pull out a win, but Tyron Woodley ended up with a majority draw victory. Talk about heart though. The South Carolina native had the whole arena rooting for him. This definitely deserved Fight of the Night.”

UFC 209 Predictions

So now the two are back at it again for a welterweight title rematch, and I am extremely excited about it. I think we can expect the fight to go similarly as last time. Each fighter will likely have made some tweaks over the past couple of months. I think we can expect Thompson to throw more strikes, especially kicks, but then again opening up can make him very vulnerable – a vulnerability that Woodley wouldn’t hesitate to take advantage of.

What worries me about Thompson is whether or not he can hang on in the third and fourth rounds. As I mentioned earlier, he somehow managed to make it past the fourth round at UFC 205 (we are still wondering how) – most of us thought the fight would end right there. But Thompson powered through, which clearly demonstrated his tenacity and heart – something that will play a significant role is his upcoming fight.

With that being said, Woodley has made a very strong case for himself to successfully defend his title and keep the belt. He’s a monster – in the greatest of ways. The guillotine choke he put on Thompson at UFC 205 that almost ended the fight demonstrated that Woodley has the true characteristics of a champion and is fully capable of ending this fight early.

While I could potentially see this fight going all five rounds again, our resident UFC expert disagrees slightly. Based on Woodley’s previous performance, my good friend Mark predicts a knockout in the late third round. That’s a little ambitious in my eyes, but that’s what makes predictions so fun. One thing we can agree on – we see Woodley keeping the belt, even though my heart wants otherwise.

My Prediction: Woodley wins via Unanimous Decision

Mark’s Prediction: Woodley wins via Knockout in the late 3rd Round

See This Rematch at UFC® 209

Don’t miss out on this epic rematch between Tyron Woodley and Stephen Thompson! Choose from floor or riser seating, meet UFC fighters, enjoy VIP hospitality, get photos with the championship belt and much more.

The UFC VIP Experience was created to elevate the fan experience at select UFC® events. QuintEvents is proud to be an Official Ticket and Hospitality Partner to the Ultimate Fighting Championship for select UFC events.